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Kennel Club criticises CKCS Club vote, supports Margaret Carter

The vote was a response to Margaret Carter, breed health rep to the national UK CKCS Club, revealing that an SM affected dog was promoted to champion and used repeatedly at stud (as revealed on BBC Primetime's Pedigree Dogs Exposed).

I knew this vote would be a MAJOR problem for the kennel club... my only surprise is that the KC didn't try to intervene and resolve BEFORE the vote as they knew it was happening.

The Kennel Club has spoken to K9 Magazine about its concern following the decision of the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel club to vote out one of its committee members, Margaret Carter, who spoke out about breed health on the documentary Pedigree Dogs Exposed.

The Kennel Club told us:The Kennel Club is concerned about the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club’s decision to remove breeder, Margaret Carter, from its committee.
Mrs Carter appeared to speak for those very aims that the Kennel Club and the Cavalier King Charles Club itself supports, which is reflected in the vast amount of effort that the breed club has put into ensuring that the health of the breed is progressed. Mrs Carter’s intentions appeared to be honourable and her will to ensure that the health of the breed is maintained, through responsible breeding practices, is one that the Kennel Club fully supports.

The Kennel Club has also issued news today that it is put the health of all of its 209 recognised breeds under review, due to be completed early next year.
Dog lovers all over the country will be heartened to see the Kennel Club taking a positive stand on these issues and the organisation should be resoundingly praised for their support of Margaret Carter on this issue.
The Kennel Club is correct. The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel club is out of step with the opinions of health conscious, right minded dog lovers and they should be ashamed of their actions.

Also, this -- Posted today. Of course if the KC is to be given 'statutory powers' there should also be government animal welfare legislation giving oversight over the KC and what it does (I'd like to see that 'momentum' she mentions used for the breeds, not the breed clubs and KC).

What it also must do is require all member clubs to have clear rules and regulations regarding how member complaints are dealt with as it is a farce to allow an SGM to be used to blindly vote people on or off the club or committee. This could NEVER be done on any properly constituted organisation -- check any UK legal site on how to institute rules and regulations for companies and organisations, and there will be guidance to have *clear steps* that must be undertaken if a committee or club member is to be questioned and their membership or standing considered.

Kennel Club to Clamp Down on Breeders to Safeguard Health of Pedigree Dogs

The Kennel Club is launching a complete review of every pedigree dog breed in the UK in a move that will have far-reaching benefits for the health of many breeds. It has also called on the government to give it the statutory powers to clamp down on breeders who fail to make a dog’s health their top priority.

A breed health plan will be coordinated for each of the UK’s 209 pedigree breeds and will benefit from the extensive research that has been funded by the Kennel Club in conjunction with renowned veterinary research centres over the past 40+ years. This will include updated breed standards to ensure that no dog is bred for features that might prevent it from seeing, walking and breathing freely. Judges will be fully briefed on the new breed standards so that only the healthiest dogs are rewarded in the show ring.

The Kennel Club is releasing the first of these new breed standards today, for the Pekingese, and has taken a tough line with the breed following extensive and abortive consultations. This is set to radically improve the health of the Pekingese which for nearly a hundred years was bred to have a flat face; a feature which can lead to breathing problems; under the new health plan the breed will be required to have a defined muzzle.

The breed health plans, which are scheduled to be completed by early next year, will also incorporate the results of a thorough, ongoing analysis of the health status and genetic diversity of each breed, drawing on results from the world’s largest dog health survey, conducted by the Animal Health Trust and funded by the Kennel Club Charitable Trust in 2004. This will ensure that breeders and buyers are aware of the health tests that should be carried out for each breed. The final part of the plans will look at ways breeders can expand the gene pool of the breed.

In order to ensure that the plans are effective and reach all dogs, the Kennel Club has called on the government to give it statutory powers to make its established Accredited Breeder Scheme compulsory throughout the country. If successful, this would mean that all breeders who are not part of the scheme and who have not officially confirmed their willingness to follow the health standards set by the Kennel Club would be unable to produce or sell puppies within the law.

Additionally, breed clubs are now required to adopt the Kennel Club’s Code of Ethics, to ensure that their practices fall in line with Kennel Club policy for putting the health and welfare of puppies first. This includes a clause that explicitly forbids the compulsory culling of healthy puppies.

To complement these steps the Kennel Club is developing plans for a new Canine Genetics Centre. This will be run in conjunction with the Animal Health Trust, confirming the Kennel Club’s commitment to research into inherited diseases and the provision of DNA testing programmes which identify the genes underlying inherited health problems.

Caroline Kisko, Kennel Club Secretary, said: “The groundswell of public attention on the very important matters surrounding dog breeding is a welcomed momentum that will enable us to drive through, with added urgency, new and extended initiatives that will help to safeguard the health of our pedigree dogs. We have been listening and agree with the general public’s view that more needs to be done.

“Steps such as our breed health plans will enable us to ensure that the health of every dog is the number one priority and we are taking a tougher line with breed clubs by adjusting those breed standards that fail to promote good health. By asking the government for statutory powers we will be able to take a tougher line with all breeders and breed clubs that fail to abide by our high standards. This in turn will enable us to extend the reach of our Accredited Breeder Scheme, which is the quality control mechanism within our registration process, so that all dogs will be bred by people who abide by our stringent rules and regulations for the breeding of healthy, happy dogs.

“We have been working hard in recent years to identify and address health problems that exist in dogs, and we are taking advantage of the opportunities that advances in science have given us to improve dog health. We look forward to continuing our work with various institutions and organisations that share the same objective: to protect the health and welfare of all dogs.”

They will need to institute breed by breed guidelines for their 'stringent rules and regulations' though as the Accredited Breeder Scheme currently has no such rules and regs and neither do breed clubs.

Delighted. Never too late to make positive steps... and you know I think Margaret may in the end achieve more than if the breed club quietly went along with her but never actually did anything to ensure the ongoing health of the breed. Their irresponsible actions have brought the wrath of all the CKCS pet owners down upon them and is forcing the Kennel Club to take some action, which otherwise might not have happened.
Every cloud etc...

Margaret may in the end achieve more than if the breed club quietly went along with her but never actually did anything to ensure the ongoing health of the breed.

You're quite right Cecily.
It's a clearcut case of " Be careful what you wish for - you may just get it"
The price of getting rid of Mrs. C from the committee may yet be more than the club can afford in terms of loss of reputation, respect and goodwill.

First I would like to thank everyone who has sent me messages of support.
I cannot say how much it has meant to me.

Well, I was certainly stunned by the size of the meeting on Sunday, stunned by the majority that wanted me off the committee, and more than stunned by the Kennel Club Statement, supporting me, that came out today.

On Sunday I came away from the SGM with the sure knowledge that cavalier breeders were never ever going to self-regulate.
It was hard to realise that I had spent five years working & hoping for something that was not ever going to happen.
At least the Kennel Club is now talking about mandatory testing.

I do want the world to know that there are some wonderful caring UK breeders that have been trying so hard to improve Cavalier health. They heart & eye test their cavaliers, and they have been scanning & breeding to the recommended guidelines for years. I have the greatest admiration for them all.
The problem is, they are a drop in the ocean, just not enough to make any difference to the overall health of the breed by themselves.

Today I was contacted by the national press. They are interested in my story, what happened at the SGM, the health initiatives, & all the implications for the breed.

I must make sure the dogs all have a good brush, just in case they are wanted for a photograph.